By Kevin Marriott at Pennygillam

SWPL PREMIER WEST (SATURDAY)

Launceston 2 Dobwalls 2

DOBWALLS, surprise early season leaders after four successive victories, came close to a fifth in a feisty affair at Pennygillam on Saturday.

In the end they were denied by a 90th minute equaliser from Mark Elvidge as Launceston rescued a point from a battling performance.

And the home side almost clinched victory in the sixth minute of time added on when Lewis Young fired inches wide.

That would have been very harsh on Dobwalls who, for the most part, were the better side and had to play with 10 men for the last hour after having full-back Anthony Davey controversially shown a straight red card.

Dobwalls had started the game particularly well and went ahead after 23 minutes when Davey’s free kick from wide on the left was headed home by Kaycee Fidelis.

But the visitors were rocked in the 35th minute when Andy Watkins latched onto a through ball and chipped it over the advancing keeper James Morley into the net.

Dobwalls felt Watkins was offside and the visitors’ sense of injustice was heightened four minutes later when Davey was sent off for what referee Ryan Dennis judged was a goal-denying challenge on Watkins, who argued that he had won the ball in a 50-50 challenge.

A penalty resulted but Watkins’ spot-kick was low and slow which allowed keeper Morley to dive to his right to collect the ball.

Dobwalls’ misery at the end of the first half was complete when Fidelis was booked for diving when darting into the penalty area.

And it then took a fine save with his legs by Morley to prevent Young putting the Clarets in front going into half-time.

The break gave Dobwalls the opportunity to regroup and they started the second half on the front foot, with Fidelis’ pace along the left causing problems. 

And the visitors restored their lead in the 51st minute when a corner from the left picked out Joe Cook, whose header was blocked on the line but Dan Tate was on hand to force the ball into the net.

Fidelis came close to making it 3-1 on the hour with a superb volley and Josh Johnson continued to cause problems, having several shots inside the penalty area blocked.

But Dobwalls’ failure to kill the game off proved costly as the game moved into added time with a Launceston free-kick from the left being forced in by Elvidge after a goalmouth scramble.

Dobwalls joint manager Ben Washam said: “I thought we dominated the game from the outset, played some nice stuff and got ourselves in front with a great goal.

“And then all the chaos began with some really odd decisions from the referee and his team which changed the whole complex of the game.

“It was a really soft penalty and then the sending off of one of our players which was extremely harsh.

“Credit to all our lads for playing 65 minutes with ten men and still creating enough chances to win the game.

“Then the sucker blow at the end to take the game from us.

“In my opinion we were the better team by far and if we had had 11 players then we would have taken all three points.

“We’re still unbeaten in the league and we are just taking one game at a time. Me and Brad (Gargett) are extremely proud of this group of players.”

DOBWALLS: James Morley, Anthony Davey, Taylor Davey, CJ Pritchard (Bentley Alcantara 79), Joe Cook, Ryan Geach, Denham Guild, Dan Tate (Hayden Baugh 52), Josh Johnson, Charlie Castlehouse, Kaycee Fidelis (Kai Burrell 62).